Polian fires Huey as a scapegoat for the poor running game despite Polian knowing jack squat about drafting O-Line players and neglecting to fill the need successfully. Yeah, that all makes sense.

It's time for Irsay to part ways with the whole Polian family and find a new GM to run the team. I think the entire regime has peaked. So sad to see Polian waste picsks and the remaining years Manning has left trying to fill the holes on the O-Line with low round draft picks and other scrubs. More than ever, I believe the Colts will fail to win another SB with Manning as QB with Polian 1 or 2 in charge.

The last thing you want, though, is Sanders magically healing up after being cut and playing like a Pro Bowler next year for, say, the Texans, or the Patriots.

I say keep him on the roster for as long as possible - he's too valuable (in terms of potential) to let go just yet.

One doesn't keep a player just to stop his opponents using him. If Bob Sanders doesn't contribute anything to the Colts I don't think the team should be paying him over 5 million dollars just to stop the rest of the League using him.

__________________

Quote:

Originally Posted by George Carlin

In Football the object is for the Field General to be on target with his aerial assault, riddling the Defence by hitting his Receivers with deadly accuracy, in spite of the Blitz, even if he has to use the Shotgun. With short bullet passes and long bombs he marches his troops into enemy territory, balancing this aerial assault with a sustained ground attack which punches holes in the forward wall of the enemy’s Defensive Line.

Defensive End: The Colts are sound at starter with both Freeney and Mathis being in the Top 5 4-3 Defensive Ends in the league. An issue is potentially at depth. While I fully expect Jerry Hughes to step up in his second season (as is with most Rookie Defensive Ends in general) both Keyunta Dawson and Eric Foster (RFA) are Free Agents. At least one of them will have to resigned or replaced. If they don’t resign Dawson or tender Foster then they will need to address the depth at Defensive End in the later ends of the draft.

Defensive Tackle: Defensive Tackle is a major area of need for the Colts for a number of reasons. Two of the main players in the rotation, Mookie Johnson and Dan Muir, are both Free Agents. The second and arguably far more vital reason is that the Colts need to upgrade the interior of the line. I like the improvements that Fili Moala made in his second season. I also like the impact that Rookie Ricardo Matthews had in the line rotation and feel he could be a valuable piece of the rotation. While both Mookie and Dan Muir will be decent rotational players neither are starting caliber Defensive Tackles. At least one of the two needs to be resigned and the other needs to be replaced, preferably by taking a 3-Technique within the first two rounds of the draft. The Defensive Line needs to be able to get consistent pressure from the interior 2 rushers.

Weakside Linebacker: The big Offseason story at Linebacker for the Colts this year will be that Clint Session, easily the team’s top linebacker and probably their 4th best defender over the last 2 or so years, is a Free Agent. Session missed 11 games this season, with Conner playing 9 of those games. Conner did very well for a Rookie linebacker. He made some Rookie mistakes but what Rookie Linebackers don’t. He did well enough that the team will probably not resign Clint Session. By not resigning Session, and by promoting Conner to full time starter, the team will need to bring in a replacement, specifically one who can play special teams.

Middle Linebacker: Middle Linebacker isn’t a problem for the Colts. They have one of the top Middle Linebackers in the division in Brackett. If Brackett goes down Angerer can kick in from SAM Linebacker and Philip Wheeler can replace him. The team could sign or draft another linebacker to both help and special teams and provide backup if two of the three (Brackett, Angerer or Wheeler) go down.

Strongside Linebacker: Pat Angerer was a surprise selection for most Colts fans last year. The team seemed solid at all three Linebacker positions and had just signed Gary Brackett to a 5 year extension. The injuries to Brackett forced Angerer into the lineup and he played well enough that by the time Brackett returned Angerer had replaced Wheeler as a starter. Angerer played very well this season. He, liked Conner, made some Rookie mistakes in coverage but he will improve with experience. Between Angerer and Wheeler the team is solid at Strongside Linebacker, but could sign or draft another linebacker to both help and special teams and provide backup if two of the three (Brackett, Angerer or Wheeler) get injured.

Cornerback: The team was decimated at Cornerback in 2010, at one stage having two healthy cornerbacks (Lacey and Brown). The team has the top Cornerback in the division in Jerraud Powers, Hayden is a good starter when healthy, Tryon impressed me when pressed into action this season, Lacey isn’t good enough to start outside but he’s a damn good Dime Cornerback, while Brown played well enough for an undrafted Rookie to be the team’s fifth choice Corner. The good news is that the team’s third round pick from last year is the team’s sixth Cornerback on the depth chart. All six are tenured for the 2011 season. When healthy we have the best unit in the division and one of the better units in the league and we have tried and tested depth. I don’t believe the team should try to prepare for as bad an injury crisis as we had this year, especially when other areas of the team need work.

Free Safety: Antoine Bethea has emerged as one of the Safeties in the league over the last few years and is probably top of that second tier (after Reed and Polamalu) of Safeties. The team could bring in some Safety depth to help with Special Teams and backup Bethea. The team could resign Aaron Francisco with this in mind.

Strong Safety: Bob Sanders is done. I would say stick a fork in him but that may actually cripple him. Also, unfortunately, Melvin Bullitt spent most of last season on IR and is also a Free Agent. The next 3 Safeties on the depth chart are also Free Agents. Bullitt is decent in run support but is a bit of a liability in pass coverage. The team could use significant investment in Strong Safety both at starter and depth. It is time to move on from a starter who has only played in more than six games twice.

__________________

Quote:

Originally Posted by George Carlin

In Football the object is for the Field General to be on target with his aerial assault, riddling the Defence by hitting his Receivers with deadly accuracy, in spite of the Blitz, even if he has to use the Shotgun. With short bullet passes and long bombs he marches his troops into enemy territory, balancing this aerial assault with a sustained ground attack which punches holes in the forward wall of the enemy’s Defensive Line.

It's time for Irsay to part ways with the whole Polian family and find a new GM to run the team. I think the entire regime has peaked. So sad to see Polian waste picsks and the remaining years Manning has left trying to fill the holes on the O-Line with low round draft picks and other scrubs. More than ever, I believe the Colts will fail to win another SB with Manning as QB with Polian 1 or 2 in charge.

Jim Irsay is going to retire as team owner in the next five years and be replaced by his daughter. He isn't going to make radical changes to the front office in that time. If there is one thing that people in Irsay's position are more afraid of than having the wrong guy for the job is the instability of replacing him.

__________________

Quote:

Originally Posted by George Carlin

In Football the object is for the Field General to be on target with his aerial assault, riddling the Defence by hitting his Receivers with deadly accuracy, in spite of the Blitz, even if he has to use the Shotgun. With short bullet passes and long bombs he marches his troops into enemy territory, balancing this aerial assault with a sustained ground attack which punches holes in the forward wall of the enemy’s Defensive Line.

I really hope Colts resign Eric Foster (Scotty will probably be screaming for the Giants to sign him). He's a not a starter, but he provides a lot of energy off the bench as a situational player. If used right (hasn't always been the case) he could be a valuable player.

As far as Session goes, he can be a very good LB, but he still overruns plays a bit too often. I would say that Brackett is our 4th best defensive player (maybe even 3rd). He is a more consistent player.

I would be open to resigning Session, but I don't think we should break the bank.

I agree on the need of the pass-rushing 3-tech DT. This has been a need for the Colts ever since Ellis Johnson left a decade ago. Maybe if Moala or Mathews improve their pass-rushing moves, both have the athletic ability.

Now on to Sanders...Ugh...I don't know what to say. My heart says give him one more year, my head says he's finished. I think Polian will give him one more shot. But Colts should bring another talented SS.

I would say that Brackett is more consistent than Session but I would say that Session is more of a playmaker than Brackett. Session will over persue at times but that is a feature of the offense. He is more of a big play type of guy. He will make tackles at the line, in the backfield, he will get sacks, interceptions etc.

__________________

Quote:

Originally Posted by George Carlin

In Football the object is for the Field General to be on target with his aerial assault, riddling the Defence by hitting his Receivers with deadly accuracy, in spite of the Blitz, even if he has to use the Shotgun. With short bullet passes and long bombs he marches his troops into enemy territory, balancing this aerial assault with a sustained ground attack which punches holes in the forward wall of the enemy’s Defensive Line.

Placekicker: The team has two ways to go here. Vinatieri isn’t a young man. He is starting to struggle to kick a field goal over 50 yards. On the other hand if there is a 40+ field goal, with 2 seconds to go, with the team 2 points down in the Superbowl, in a hurricane, I’m backing Vinatieri to split the uprights. Kickers also have a longer shelf life than other people so he could have 3 or 4 years left in him. I think they should resign Vinatieri.

Punter: Despite his attempts to give himself a combination of hyperthermia and a jail sentence, McAfee is a great, young punter and kickoff specialist. There is no need here.

Special Teams: Blair White did a decent job on punt returns but not spectacular, while Dominic Rhodes wasn’t great on Kick Returns and is a Free Agent. The team has never given much effort into both kick returners and coverage units. Bill Polian called out the Special Teams after the loss to the Jets so, while not being surprised if the Colts don’t upgrade it in any way, shape or form, getting a number of key special teams players could be high on the teams list, especially at the Kick Returner position.

__________________

Quote:

Originally Posted by George Carlin

In Football the object is for the Field General to be on target with his aerial assault, riddling the Defence by hitting his Receivers with deadly accuracy, in spite of the Blitz, even if he has to use the Shotgun. With short bullet passes and long bombs he marches his troops into enemy territory, balancing this aerial assault with a sustained ground attack which punches holes in the forward wall of the enemy’s Defensive Line.

- DT - Unless Dareus, Fairley, or possibly Paea is available at the 22nd pick I think the Colts should look for depth in the draft or at free agency. The DT class this year is not great. I would like the Colts to re-sign A Johnson. Muir can walk. Johnson plays the nose well in this 4-3 when he's healthy. Run defense improved significantly when he returned from injury this past season. Moala improved and I don't think he's done. Mathews looks like a steal between the 3 of them I think that is a pretty good core group of guys at DT. An additional guy to back up Mookie would be a good move, someone in the Muir mold but better. Because of the Colts scheme and coaching I don't think a high-ish draft choice is a wise move unless it is a very special player.

- Linebacker - I would really like to get a thumper to play SAM. A strong, instinctive guy that can shed blocks and set the edge, a real workhorse. Angerer did alright on the strong side but his future is at MLB and he needs serious work in coverage. I like Conner a lot. I was not impressed with Brackett this year. It may have been injury related but I thought he regressed in coverage and played pretty undisciplined against the run. Really I think we have an awkward situation at LB. I am ok with letting Session go if he can get more $ elsewhere, I think Conner did a very good job in his place. I don't like any of our players at LB. And at MLB we've got Brackett who I think is past his prime, and Angerer who has significant playing time but is suspect as a coverage LB right now. We have a bunch of 4-3 MLBs and WLBs and no real SLBs. And Wheeler, who doesn't really play any position well.

- Safety - Obviously Bethea is the present and future at FS. Great player especially when he has competent DBs playing with him. His play at times dipped this season but I attribute that to him having to do too much and playing with scrubs next to him. As for SS, I would like Sanders to restructure. Low-ball contract with incentives. But draft a guy that can start. Sanders agent acknowledged that the request is coming and acted like it was pretty reasonable to expect it. I don't think they should keep him just in case he could play well somewhere else. I think they should keep him so they possibly get a fantastic player at a cheap price. If he can stay healthy, great! He's a top SS in the NFL. If he can't, but he's getting the vet minimum, then who cares? Plug in the guy you just drafted. Maybe by then he'll have learned a thing or two about how to play from Bob (minus the injuries of course). If you can get Bob cheap it doesn't make sense to cut him, IMO. But either way, SS is a huge need in this draft.

- CB - I like who we have but the scheme calls for them to help in run support and I think that will hurt their chances of staying healthy. I hope they change the scheme a bit more than anything so our corners can be corners and not corner/safety hybrids. Powers, Hayden, and Tryon are a great CB1, CB2, and NB. I like Tryon a lot, actually. Great free agent pick up.

You've mentioned that Bethea is a tier below the elite Safeties, I think that's the case with Brackett and MLBs.

He isn't the biggest or the fastest, but his instincts are excellent. He is one of the few MLBs that can play equally well against the run and in coverage. If you consider how little of a protection he has been getting from his DTs in his career, he has done a very good job. He also makes tackles behind and line of scrimmage and can get an INT on occasion.

I think that in 05 - 08 he was in the 2nd tier of MLBs in the NFL. Last year was different in that he played a very different role and blitzed a lot and was effective at it. Very impressive and surprising. And like I said, this year it may have been an injury that slowed him down, but he just did not look that great this past year.

My new wish is for the Colts to draft Dontay Moch in the 2nd to play SLB. I somehow missed just how freaking fast that guy is.

Well correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought our scheme calls for SLB to be more physical then fast.

They have to fight through blockers more.

Moch could be a heck of a WLB.

His size and experience at DE would benefit him in shedding blocks and speed is never a bad thing. WLB in our scheme requires pass coverage skills that I doubt he has, though. Basically I am just psyched about a 245 lb. guy that can run a sub 4.3 40. My first thought was to make him lose 20 lbs. and play SS, but obviously then the pass coverage problems would be that much worse.

I really like the way the Giants play Kiwanuka at SLB, I'd like the Colts to borrow from that idea.

The major difficulty is that Strongside Linebacker, for the Colts, is a 2 down position. As soon as the Colts go into the Nickle the SAM comes out. Drafting another Linebacker in the 2nd just to play maybe half the snaps isn't good value.

__________________

Quote:

Originally Posted by George Carlin

In Football the object is for the Field General to be on target with his aerial assault, riddling the Defence by hitting his Receivers with deadly accuracy, in spite of the Blitz, even if he has to use the Shotgun. With short bullet passes and long bombs he marches his troops into enemy territory, balancing this aerial assault with a sustained ground attack which punches holes in the forward wall of the enemy’s Defensive Line.

That seems like a lifetime ago but yeah I remember the same thing. I have wondered before, when Wheeler was starting, why not send him on a blitz? It's the only thing he was known for in college. Why send Brackett, who is ok as a blitzer but is better in coverage, when you've got a bigger, stronger, faster, worse-in-coverage blitzing LB right next to him?

Seamus, that is true. Really I am just stretching for a reason to draft Moch. What an incredible athlete.

That seems like a lifetime ago but yeah I remember the same thing. I have wondered before, when Wheeler was starting, why not send him on a blitz? It's the only thing he was known for in college. Why send Brackett, who is ok as a blitzer but is better in coverage, when you've got a bigger, stronger, faster, worse-in-coverage blitzing LB right next to him?

Seamus, that is true. Really I am just stretching for a reason to draft Moch. What an incredible athlete.

My two issues with Moch are that, firstly, I don't think he'll be a 4-3 LB. 3-4 yeah but not 4-3. In the 4-3 I see him converting to DE, the way that Marcus Howard did. Remember that Moch is 1" smaller and the same weight as Robert Mathis.

Secondly he's a great athlete. I'm not a fan of athletes. Give me a football player any day of the week. I question whether he has the range and coverage skills to play linebacker or whether he has the strength and skills to be a pass rusher.

__________________

Quote:

Originally Posted by George Carlin

In Football the object is for the Field General to be on target with his aerial assault, riddling the Defence by hitting his Receivers with deadly accuracy, in spite of the Blitz, even if he has to use the Shotgun. With short bullet passes and long bombs he marches his troops into enemy territory, balancing this aerial assault with a sustained ground attack which punches holes in the forward wall of the enemy’s Defensive Line.

OL, OL, and more OL! Seriously, a draft that went OT, OT, OG would be great as far as I'm concerned. Honestly, where else is help needed?

QB - The only 4 time MVP in NFL history. 'Nuff said.
RB - Re-sign Addai (which should be cheap) and it's a non-issue.
WR - Reggie Wayne, Austin Collie, Anthony Gonzalez/Pierre Garcon, Blair White, the Colts are minimum 5 deep here.
TE - Dallas Clark, Jacob Tamme/Brody Eldridge, the Colts are 3 deep hereOT - Charlie Johnson and Ryan Diem could both be upgraded.OG - Time to solidify the starters of this unit rather than rotating people in and out on a weekly basis. Hopefully Jacques McClendon can be a part of that starting next season.
OC - Saturday just made his 5th Pro Bowl, and Jamey Richard seems to be in line to replace him.

DE - Two Pro Bowl starters with a 1st round pick in reserves, this unit is fine.
DT - Personally, I'm highly comfortable with a rotation of Muir, Moala, Johnson, Mathews, and Foster.
LB - Two surprising rookies solidified this unit in 2010. Session, Brackett, Angerer, and Conner make for the best unit the team has had since the departure of Thornton.
CB - Powers, Hayden, Tryon, and Lacey are fine. Oh, and Kevin Thomas, 3rd round pick from 2010, has yet to see the field.
S - Bethea, Bullitt, and Sanders if healthy. I'm not comfortable with Francisco as a starter, so I wouldn't mind a S in the later rounds just in case Sanders and Bullitt go down again in 2011.

P - McAfee hasn't been so horrible as to need replacing. Could do better though.
K - Vinatieri is old, I wouldn't mind seeing the Colts grab a K with good accuracy.
LS - Snow seems to be a mainstay, so I'll trust in that until further notice.

So aside from OT and OG, I'm not seeing where the need exists.

__________________

The problem arises when people use statistics like a drunk uses a lamp post: for support instead of illumination.

If luck is where preparation meets opportunity, then clutch is where failure meets luck.

Quote:

<Add1ct> setting myself on fire can't be that hard
<Add1ct> but tackling a mosquito might prove a challenge

I think a strong safety is a bigger need than that. Bullitt is a great backup and an interesting 3rd safety option but not a great starter IMO. Sanders is a top 3 safety when fully healthy but you can't trust him to stay off the injury report. I agree going OL early and often would be great as long as the players are there. But if the safety talent in the 2nd was better than the OL talent I wouldn't mind taking the safety.